The Keenan McCardell Curse

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Westbrook had that breakout season in '99 and seemed to be on his way, but he just wasn't the same after his knee injury in '00. I don't think he had a ton of passion for the game either. I recall reading that he wasn't even a fan of football.

yea i knew immediately last pre-season, not this, when cruz was still wearing #9 that he was gonna be a beast... he just looked faster then everybody else and his agility gives him the freedom to get open ALOT...

Westbrook had that breakout season in '99 and seemed to be on his way, but he just wasn't the same after his knee injury in '00. I don't think he had a ton of passion for the game either. I recall reading that he wasn't even a fan of football.

Hey Matty, if its not too far off topic, what was the deal between Westbrook and Davis. I remember the nasty fight, and Westbrook beating the crap out of Davis, but I dont recall what it was all about.

Hey Matty, if its not too far off topic, what was the deal between Westbrook and Davis. I remember the nasty fight, and Westbrook beating the crap out of Davis, but I dont recall what it was all about.

I'm not sure, but I think it was because Stephen Davis was taunting Michael Westbrook, calling him homo or something to that effect. Westbrook didn't just sucker punch Davis, he beat the crap out of him!

That's a good story about a football career gone bad. The helmet slam was part of a major Redskin meltdown, and it really does reflect the opinion that many have of Michael's career with the Redskins. That game was a nightmare. Westbrook slams his helmet, Redskins penalized 15 yards, can't score, and miss the playoffs. That was also the game that Guss Frerotte head-butted the wall after scoring Washington's only TD of the day. Knocked himself silly and had to leave the game. What a disaster. As I recall, Gus and Norv quarrelled all day about the offense. They were never on the same page.

That's a good story about a football career gone bad. The helmet slam was part of a major Redskin meltdown, and it really does reflect the opinion that many have of Michael's career with the Redskins. That game was a nightmare. Westbrook slams his helmet, Redskins penalized 15 yards, can't score, and miss the playoffs. That was also the game that Guss Frerotte head-butted the wall after scoring Washington's only TD of the day. Knocked himself silly and had to leave the game. What a disaster. As I recall, Gus and Norv quarrelled all day about the offense. They were never on the same page.

I think that might have been the year the Redskins had an 8-1 record and well on their way to making the playoffs. Heck, I remember talking about how great it would be for them to secure home field advantage. All of a sudden, bam, a major collapse and the 'skins pretty much lost the rest of their games. I mean, one or two more games is all it would have taken to have secured a spot in the playoffs, and the Redskins couldn't muster another win. In all honesty, that season should have not come down to that one play.

Hey Matty, if its not too far off topic, what was the deal between Westbrook and Davis. I remember the nasty fight, and Westbrook beating the crap out of Davis, but I dont recall what it was all about.

I thought Davis called Westbrook a "faggot" and teased him about always being hurt.

"He didn't call me a name,'' Westbrook said of Davis. "That's where it gets mixed up. It got reported and it got changed into something monstrous. I was talking to him, Brian Mitchell and Terry Allen. They were talking about 'letting us handle the team.' I was like, 'You all are a bunch of jealous [f----]. You all are just jealous of everything I have.'

"Stephen Davis told me I needed to shut up and all that stuff I was saying sounded like some gay [s---], like I'm soft, not like I'm gay. That's all he said. It wasn't like, 'You're gay,' but it got changed to that really quick. So the connotation is Michael Westbrook is gay.''

Really good read. I think Westbrook is probably a rare case of a top pick not reaching great success in the NFL but going on to be very happy.

No doubt that Westbrook had the tools and the athletic ability to probably have been the best receiver in football. I remembered thinking that Shuler to Westbrook was going to be a household phrase much like Montana to Rice or Aikman to Ervin.

Anyway, it's been more than 10 years since I had to deal with him and I don't really have any single story. He was just a total dick to everyone. I mean I've said my piece about Darrell Green. But at least with him it was just like I'm going to be rude to you for a minute and then leave you alone so long as you leave me alone. With Connell it was like berating and belittling. Like you ask him a question and he wanted to let you know that you're a sorry sack of sh** too pathetic to breathe the same air he does. So you say fine, whatever, and move on to talk to someone else. But then he follows you around to let you know how pathetic he thinks you are. And it's not like these were "questions from the media" sometimes it was just "hey what's up" And he would get into shouting matches with everyone-media, players, coaches.

Back then I worked with quite a few people who really decided they would no longer be Redskins fans after having to deal with people like him. I kind of made the decision at the onset that if I was going to get involved in the everyday business of the Redskins I had to accept that they were all human and some reality would sink in about some of the players (and some pleasant surprises as well) and I wasn't going to let that impact how I reacted to the team as a whole on the field (took a similar approach when I went to work for ESPN). Sure sometimes I'll see a player score and think "Yay Redskins!...but boo that jerk wearing a Redskins jersey"

He was what people assume Michael Westbrook to have been. When in reality, I actually really enjoyed talking to Westbrook...until the camera started rolling. Then it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with him

Yeah it was Carter i was talking about. If you could get half the NFL to hustle the way he did, there would be a fatality every Sunday. And I was a Darrell Green fan for years right up until the minute i met him what a bag. But if Fred Smoot was stuck in Syria i'd be leading the the charge to go get him, what a likable guy. Wish Smoot was still around.